Reserve light

VMAX  Forum

Help Support VMAX Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

prmurat

Active Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
28
Reaction score
5
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Has anyone transformed the reserve system on a Gen1 to make it work as a Gen2, or like on any FI bike? I'll be happy with only a light showing that fuel is getting low without the complication of a switch/relay etc!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Has anyone transformed the reserve system on a Gen1 to make it work as a Gen2, or like on any FI bike? I'll be happy with only a light showing that fuel is getting low without the complication of a switch/relay etc!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry I really don't see it being a problem. :ummm: Red light comes on, you switch to reserve a thumb away & you got 20 miles to get gas. Just think it could be old school with a petcock. You just run out of gas & you better be quick to get to that petcock to hit reserve. :bang head: With the red light you have time to hit reserve before you run out of gas. :eusa_dance:

Dave
 
Sean told me if the reserve light burns out or doesn't work the reserve doesn't work. Mine never has worked.
 
Sorry I really don't see it being a problem. :ummm: Red light comes on, you switch to reserve a thumb away & you got 20 miles to get gas. Just think it could be old school with a petcock. You just run out of gas & you better be quick to get to that petcock to hit reserve. :bang head: With the red light you have time to hit reserve before you run out of gas. :eusa_dance:

Dave



Sorry too: what's the use of a light AND a switch? You don't feel when your bike is running out of gas and have to hit the petcock??? Need a light for this???

Once again: this was not the question....
Why having a switch/petcock when there is a light or why a light when there is a switch??
Or easier question: where to look when the light is on but the reserve switch does not work???
 
Sorry too: what's the use of a light AND a switch? You don't feel when your bike is running out of gas and have to hit the petcock??? Need a light for this???

Once again: this was not the question....
Why having a switch/petcock when there is a light or why a light when there is a switch??
Or easier question: where to look when the light is on but the reserve switch does not work???

As Mr. Dorney previously said -
When the fuel light goes on, you switch to reserve, knowing that you have upwards of 20 miles to go before the gas is depleted. In my case, I've gone over 50 kilometers (30 miles), and still made it to a station. Most likely a bit of variance among all bikes, depending on the sensitivity and position of the fuel sender.
The advantage of the light warning is that the bike does not immediately start to stumble from lack of gas - this usually occurs a few miles/minutes later. Maybe not a big advantage when on the highway, but in stop and go traffic, a nice feature.
And the advantage of a switch over a petcock is obvious. Much easier and safer to operate when riding the bike.
If the reserve switch on your bike is not operating, begin troubleshooting by checking the switch itself. There is only one set of contacts, since the "reserve" position merely provides another source of power for the fuel pump.
Cheers!
 
Sorry I really don't see it being a problem. :ummm: Red light comes on, you switch to reserve a thumb away & you got 20 miles to get gas. Just think it could be old school with a petcock. You just run out of gas & you better be quick to get to that petcock to hit reserve. :bang head: With the red light you have time to hit reserve before you run out of gas. :eusa_dance:

Dave

Here's the example of the problem I had a few days ago. I was on a busy 4 lane, with lots of traffic. It was sunny out. My reserve light came on, but I couldn't see it because of the bright sunshine. I had to stop at a red light, The bike ran out of fuel as the red light changed to green, by the time I figured out what happened, the bike quit, and I had 30 cars sitting behind me. I walk it off the road to let the cars go by. I hit the reserve switch and it immediately started, but not before the dangerousl situation. I had only gone 80 miles on the tank, so running out of gas was completely unexpected.
 
Here's the example of the problem I had a few days ago. I was on a busy 4 lane, with lots of traffic. It was sunny out. My reserve light came on, but I couldn't see it because of the bright sunshine. I had to stop at a red light, The bike ran out of fuel as the red light changed to green, by the time I figured out what happened, the bike quit, and I had 30 cars sitting behind me. I walk it off the road to let the cars go by. I hit the reserve switch and it immediately started, but not before the dangerousl situation. I had only gone 80 miles on the tank, so running out of gas was completely unexpected.

I set my trip meter back to zero with every tank full & get right around 100 to 110 miles to a tank. When I get close to that I keep a eye on the light for me it works out well.

Dave
 
Sean told me if the reserve light burns out or doesn't work the reserve doesn't work. Mine never has worked.

I believe if you unplug the sensor on the right side of the battery,the system will act as if in reserve and drain the tank dry. Correct me if I'm mistaken.
Steve-o
 
I set my trip meter back to zero with every tank full & get right around 100 to 110 miles to a tank. When I get close to that I keep a eye on the light for me it works out well.

Dave

I do to, That's what threw me about running out. I start watching for the fuel light around 100. If I do a lot of tinkering, and revving at home, it can gobble up the gas.
 
I set my trip meter back to zero with every tank full & get right around 100 to 110 miles to a tank. When I get close to that I keep a eye on the light for me it works out well.

+1 Dave, I sometimes, depending on how I'm riding, can stretch it out to 130 miles. then I know I've got no more than 30 miles before I'm walking. I pulled in to a a gas station after going over 150 miles but there wasn't much in that tank.
Steve-o
 
I personally like the setup as I have not seen the low fuel light a number of times and when it starts bucking from running out it made me look down and realize i was needing to swap the reserve over. Without it I would have run completely out and been shit out of luck.

The only thing I have done on some custom builds was make the light STAY ON anytime the res switch was engaged. This way you don't forget to swap it back to the normal on position.
 
I believe if you unplug the sensor on the right side of the battery,the system will act as if in reserve and drain the tank dry. Correct me if I'm mistaken.

Steve-o



That's interesting... This sensor is for the light and the relay? So maybe there is a way to keep the light and passby the relay? Since my 1st Vmax in 1986 I've been bothered by this silly setup... About time I start working on it!!
 
If you want to leave the switch on the RES position it completely ignores the low fuel cutoff and turns the pump on all the time. The light will still work like normal.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top